Email:

Work Study Opportunities

Learning and Goals

Anthropology

Anthropology is the study of humans, past and present. To understand the full sweep and complexity of cultures across all of human history, anthropology draws and builds upon knowledge from the social and biological sciences as well as the humanities and physical sciences. A central concern of anthropologists is the application of knowledge to the solution of human problems.

—American Anthropological Association

The Luther College anthropology program utilizes a four-field approach that includes attention to cultural anthropology, archaeology, bioanthropology, and linguistic anthropology. The anthropology curriculum at Luther engages the larger discipline’s goals through the traditional classroom environment as well as through a range of learning opportunities beyond the classroom. The program is characterized by:

Innovative classroom experiences designed to foster a comprehensive understanding of the contemporary practice and historical scope of the discipline.

Myriad opportunities to explore and test the central tenets of the anthropological perspective through collaborative work with faculty, off-campus study, research with the extensive collections in the Anthropology Lab, and fieldwork opportunities in a local environment rich in both contemporary and ancient cultural resources.

The anthropology program is housed on the third floor of Koren, built in 1921 to serve as the college's first library and fully renovated in 1987-88. Program facilities include 5 faculty offices, the departmental office, the anthropology lab, and the collections storage area in the basement of Preus Library.